How Not To React To A Missed Flight

Missing flights is an unfortunately reality of travel sometimes. A connecting flight lands late, weather delays, getting stuck in traffic, long security lines… and sometimes just making a mistake and running late. No one likes missing a flight, and while there can be significant frustration and anger in missing a flight, throwing a tantrum is never the answer.

Recently there has been a YouTube video gaining momentum online of one such passenger who missed her flight from Hong Kong (HKG) to San Francisco (SFO). This video is 3 minutes and 13 seconds of how no person should act should they arrive late to a gate…in fact this video is how no person should act in general when they don’t get their way.

For those of you who do not speak Cantonese (and I don’t) the following is a rough translation of the woman’s opening tirade, as translated and sent to me by a Cantonese speaking frequent reader of Flying With Fish:NO!! NO!! Why are you closing the gate? The aircraft is still here! This is crazy! Why are you being like this? What do I do now? I need to go San Francisco now! One of you should go and stop it! We could get on! Why are you people so stupid?

(as I do not speak a word of Cantonese I cannot vouch for the translation accuracy)

This video goes beyond airport etiquette and enters a whole new realm of how not to get what you want when something goes wrong. Cathay Pacific did accommodate the woman in the video by sending her onward later in the day.

On a side note, I do find it odd that an airport employee chose to video tape this woman’s temper tantrum and broadcast in on YouTube rather than attempt to help in calming this situation down. Airline and airport personnel should be assisting passengers, rather than fueling their fury.

About Me

Fish has been covering aviation and transportation security issues since September 15, 2001, after walking away from Ground Zero in Lower Manhattan following four days of documenting the worst aviation security disaster in history.

Having spent more than a decade-and-a-half as a full-time photojournalist, Fish now divides his time between building social media and social commerce strategies and solutions for global travel brands, along with researching aviation and transportation security.

Growing up at the end up New York's JFK International Airport's Runway 4R/22L probably explains Fish’s enjoyment of watching planes fly overhead. When not working or shooting photos, Fish can be found playing with (and cleaning up after) his three kids, chasing his dogs, standing in the kitchen cooking, monitoring radios public safety and federal radios and of course cheering for the Red Sox.

You can find Fish on Twitter at @flyingwithfish …and … join Fish every Thursday at 3:30pm EST as he hosts the weekly #TNI #Travel Chat on Twitter.